Night Gate (30 page)

There was a long silence. Long enough for Rage to reflect that she was silly for getting mad with a dream.

“Firecat…needing wizard,” the firecat spat with such furious anguish that in spite of herself, Rage was touched. “Can bringing you to him!” it added eagerly, as if it felt her weakening.

Her heart hardened at this familiar offer. “I know this is a dream, but even in a dream I’m not going anywhere with you. And I honestly don’t care enough about your master to want to help him if he has gone and got himself into trouble again.” Rage was startled to hear the strength of her dislike of the wizard in her words.

The firecat made a sound of spitting fury and frustration. “If not caring for wizard, maybe caring for your sstupid world, sstupid ragewinnoway.”

A bell began to ring insistently and the dream slipped away. “I am waking…,” she murmured.

“Yesss! Waking to nightmare, sstupid ragewinnoway,” the firecat snarled after her.

Acknowledgments

My sincere thanks to Mallory Loehr, who was a meticulous and tender editor and the perfect companion on my journey back to Valley. Thanks also to Kristin Hall and all of the others at Random House, for making my time there so special. And thanks to Bear, Goaty, Billy, and my brave little Mr. Walker, for love and inspiration.

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Published by Yearling, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books a division of Random House, Inc., New York

Originally published in Australia as
Billy Thunder and the Night Gate
by Penguin Books Australia, Camberwell, in 2000

Copyright © 2000 by Isobelle Carmody

Cover art © 2005 by Greg Spalenka

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eISBN: 978-0-375-89089-5

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